Travelers
wishing to escape to a laid-back tropical paradise should
look no further than the British Virgin Islands. Although
the archipelago is made up of about 50 islands and cays, many
are uninhabited.
A British settlement, the islands now run
their own affairs, but do operate on the British legal system.
The most popular of the British Virgin Islands include Tortola,
Virgin Gorda, Jost
Van Dyke, and the smaller Anegada.
The British Virgin Islands are surrounded
by the blue-green Caribbean Sea, along with small bays and
cays that were once used as pirate havens. The natural flora
of the British Virgin Islands, which include colorful tropical
flowers, as well as banana, mango and palm trees, are well-
Quick References
British Virgin Islands Hotels Online hotel reservations and reviews
Shopping Find out where to go shopping
Restaurants Where to go for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or drinks
Attractions Info about the top tourist attractions
British Virgin Islands Tours Tours for individuals and groups
preserved by the National
Parks Trust. Along with great snorkeling and diving sites,
beautiful white-sand beaches and protected land, each island
offers its own unique feel.
Tortola, which means “turtle dove” in Spanish,
is rugged, mountainous land, with Sage
Mountain as the highest peak of the Virgin Islands at
1,780 feet. The Virgin Gorda is home to The
Baths, the island’s most popular site where visitors
can snorkel in pools and grottoes naturally formed by giant
boulders. On Anegada, you can tour an 1100-acre bird sanctuary
or enjoy Loblolly Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches throughout
the Virgin Islands.
The U.S. Virgin Islands lie nearby, with the island of St.
Thomas just 20-minutes away by boat. But the British Virgin
Islands are much more laid-back and have all the ingredients
needed to transport visitors into an isolated paradise. The
British Virgin Islands are the place to go to escape from
high-rise buildings, cable TV overload, and the hustle and
bustle of city life.
